The purpose of this study was to identify and describe successful innovations in educational leadership preparation programs. Professors of educational leadership from across the nation nominated innovations of 12 programs. Based on review of descriptions of the innovations provided by nominees, further documentation on the innovations was…

School-based health centers (SBHCs) continue to provide essential health care services to children and families in underserved neighborhoods across the country. Preliminary studies show that students who use SBHCs have better attendance rates as well as higher rates of academic achievement and attachment to the learning environment. Few studies,…

The literature on teacher preparation programs in the United States is extensive. However, there is limited scientifically based research on what kind of program produces effective teachers; rather, the literature consists mostly of calls for change in teacher preparation programs. Almost all experts agree that major changes are needed in these…

Our pilot project created blended/online courses to accommodate the growing needs of precollegiate and collegiate students interested in learning Korean and Japanese. In the initial phase, we conducted a survey of students' experiences with and perceptions about blended/online Asian language learning. We found a general lack of familiarity with,…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the goals of institutions that are currently developing and delivering Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and to assess the current evidence as to whether these goals are being met. A qualitative study was conducted comprising interviews of 83 individuals across 62 institutions including public and…

This dissertation presents an ethnographic account of the launch of "The Downtown School for Design, Media, and Technology," one of the most prominent American school reform projects in recent years. Drawing on popular accounts about children and young people's pervasive affinity for digital media, and especially video games, the…

Employers point to a large and growing "skills gap," saying thousands of jobs are already going unfilled because applicants lack the skills and knowledge they need. Forecasters say that, by the end of this decade, two-thirds of all jobs will require some form of high-quality postsecondary credential such as a degree or certificate. The…

The authors prepared this report after exploring programs using a 90-day cycle process borrowed from the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The IHI 90-day cycle scans activity in the field as a "quick way to research innovative ideas and assess their potential for advancing quality improvement". The goal was to "get under…

While the Internet changed everything, mobile will change everything squared. The Internet is just a roadway, and computers--the equivalent of cars for the Internet--have been expensive. The keepers of the information roadway--the telecommunication companies--will give one a "computer," such as cell phone, mobile learning device, or MLD,…

The Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP) is a bold effort to create a network of charter schools designed to transform and improve the educational opportunities available to low/income families. KIPP schools seek to actively engage students and parents in the educational process, expand the time and effort students devote to their studies, reinforce…

Support for Innovative Teacher Projects was a 12-month program implemented by the Board of Cooperative Education Services (BOCES) of Nassau County, New York, designed to encourage and assist teachers in developing innovative projects in priority areas and in applying for funding. In collaboration with a university school of education, the project…

Strategic Programs for Innovations in Undergraduate Physics (SPIN-UP) set out to answer an intriguing question: Why, in the 1990s, did some physics departments increase the number of bachelor's degrees awarded in physics or maintain a number much higher than the national average for their type of institution? During that decade, the number of…

Project Impact, a support system for the administrative and instructional staff in the Onondaga-Madison BOCES schools, was designed to support a diagnostic-prescriptive approach in the classroom by providing the information the teacher needs in order to make instructional decisions. It consists of a series of computer programs with a large storage…

This document presents the transcript of a hearing before the House Subcommittee on Education Reform about state and local level special education programs that work and federal barriers to innovation as part of efforts to reform the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Highlights of the testimony include: (1) progress in New York in…

A two-way bilingual program, in which limited-English-speaking Hispanic students and English-proficient students provide reciprocal language-learning experiences, was implemented in a Port Chester, New York elementary school. The program's features included a combined second/third grade, two classes (one limited-English-proficient and one…